Creating emotional prosperity with gratitude

19 May Creating emotional prosperity with gratitude

by Dr. Happy (from this week's FREE eNewsletter to which you can subscribe HERE)

Did you know that gratitude is important not only because it helps us feel good, but also because it inspires us to do good? Research over several decades (largely led by the inspirational Prof. Robert Emmons) clearly proves that gratitude heals, energises and transforms our lives (and the lives of those around us). In summary, gratitude has been found to be positively associated with empathy and forgiveness, socially helpful behaviours, compassion, joy, enthusiasm and more. And these aren't necessarily new findings; the fact is, gratitude was considered so important to living a good life by the Roman philosopher Cicero that he referred to it as the "queen of the virtues"!

RELATED TIPS

This week's practical tips are adapted from Robert Emmons' (referred to above) new book "Gratitude Works: a 21-Day program for creating emotional prosperity":

regularly write in a gratitude journal (and get the most out of it by being specific and aiming for emotional depth over breadth)

imagine the absence of something positive in your life

reflect upon how good your life is as a result of the efforts of others

establish a daily habit of paying attention to gratitude-inspiring events

count (and write down) your blessings

be mindful of experiences that warrant celebration

don't just feel gratitude, express gratitude…by writing someone a letter telling them how much you appreciate what they've done and ideally, by reading this aloud to them in person!

be wary of entitlement (the enemy of gratitude)

Please note, Robert's book, Gratitude Works, has so much more depth and includes so many more practical and powerful steps you can take in order to enjoy happiness and, as he says, create "emotional prosperity". So if you're interested then do yourselves a favour and visit Amazon (or your local bookstore) to get your own copy. Highly recommended!